Former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno spent $1.2 million last year defending himself against charges of committing federal felonies.

The spending is contained in updated finance reports posted Friday with the state Board of Elections. Bruno is paying most legal expenses through funds in his political campaign account, which he has now exhausted.

The information was made public the day after Bruno’s attorney asked a federal judge in Albany to throw out a verdict against Bruno—or, at the very least, order the case to be retried.

On Dec. 7, 2009, a jury in Albany convicted Bruno on two of eight counts of federal mail and wire fraud allegations. Bruno, 80, was acquitted of five other counts, and the jury could not reach a verdict on an additional count.

Bruno, 80, faces a maximum $250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison for each count he was convicted on. Sentencing is set for March 26 at 9 a.m.

Federal prosecutors accused Bruno, an iconic area politician who lives in Rensselaer County, of intentionally and illegally covering up his outside business consulting activities while in office as the Senate’s most powerful legislator.

Bruno made $3.2 million through his consulting work over a 12-year period. By law, state legislators are part-time workers, enabling them to hold outside employment.

Prosecutors said Bruno devised and carried out a scheme to hide his business dealings—which often involved people or companies who had business before the state—by withholding information on annual disclosure reports legislators must file with the state.

Bruno has maintained his innocence, saying he broke no laws.

“The legal process is going to continue, and in my mind and in my heart, it’s not over until it’s over—and it’s far from over,” Bruno said the night the verdict was read.

A day later, Bruno resigned as CEO of CMA Consulting Services, an information technology and software consulting firm headquartered in Latham. Bruno joined the firm in summer 2008, after he retired and ended a 32-year career in the Senate.

In court papers filed Jan. 14, Bruno’s attorneys argued there was insufficient evidence presented to jurors that substantiated the allegations prosecutors made against Bruno. The attorney also highlighted what they called an “inconsistent” verdict from jurors.

For instance, of the eight charges against Bruno, four involved Jared Abbruzzese, a Loudonville businessman. On two of those four counts, Bruno was convicted. On the other two, he was acquitted.

The jury “inexplicably convicted him on two counts that raised the same issues, supported by the same evidence as existed in counts on which the jury acquitted,” Bruno’s attorneys wrote. “The two convictions are thus fundamentally flawed, given the lack of sufficient evidence to establish any scheme to defraud. Both fairness to Mr. Bruno and a preservation of judicial resources ... would be served by the court addressing the issues by dismissing the case now.”

Bruno’s attorneys also repeated their criticisms of the federal “honest services” statute prosecutors used to accuse Bruno. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments on three cases this year, all based on the honest services law.

A hearing on the request from Bruno’s attorneys is scheduled for Feb. 5.

Bruno’s attorneys include William Dreyer, of Dreyer Boyajian LLP in Albany. The lead attorney is Abbe Lowell, a high-powered lawyer from Washington, D.C.

Lowell has represented a range of well-known people, including governors, U.S. senators, actor Steven Seagal and federal lobbyist Jack Abramoff.